On 30th January, H.E.Ambassador PANG Sen and Commercial Counselor WU Peimin attended the 3rd Iran-China Business and Investment Opportunity Conference, which was jointly hosted by Iran-China Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ICCCI) and University of Tehran. Mr. Khazaie, Deputy Minister for Economy and Finance and head of Iranian Investment Organization, Mr. Shafeie, Chief of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines & Agriculture, Mr. Asgaroladi, Chief of ICCCI and Mr. Seyed, Commercial Counselor of Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in China attended the Conference along with more than 200 distinguished guests from Iranian governmental and business circles.

Ambassador Pang stated that bilateral relations between China and Iran had witnessed further progress in 2017. Both sides continuously implemented the important consensus reached by President XI Jinping and President Rouhani, and actively developed the comprehensive strategic partnership through, inter alia, high-level exchanges between the two countries. Bilateral cooperation in various fields was enhanced markedly. The robust domestic consumption demand of China provided good opportunities for Iranian friends who are most welcome to expand their commercial activities in China. The upcoming China International Import Expo is one of the good platforms. Ambassador Pang also expressed his appreciation for the contribution made by ICCCI to promote economic cooperation between China and Iran.

Mr. Khazaie referred to good level of ties between Iran and China, noting that Iran welcomes improvement of economic and political cooperation with China. Since the visit of Chinese President H. E. Xi Jinping in 2016, Iran-China relationship has been stepping forward even faster. The world witnessed the extraordinary changes of China since the Reform and Opening up policy, particularly during the past 10 to 15 years. Nowadays China is playing an increasingly important role in regional and international affairs, through the multilateral frameworks of the Belt and Road Initiative, AIIB, Silk Road Fund, etc.

Mr. Khazaie emphasized China has rendered precious support to Iran during the tough times of international sanctions, and the two sides have made new progress after JCPOA. The Iran-China trade in 2017 experienced 22% increase as compared to the previous year, and the Chinese companies had near 2.3 billion dollars of direct investment in Iran from 2014 till 2018. The worth of Iranian crude oil exported to China has reached an average of 11 billion dollars annually, and the volume accounts for 8% of the total crude oil import of China. These achievements further prove the strong will of the two countries to develop bilateral relations strategically.

Mr. Shafeie and Mr. Asgaroladi in their statements also spoke highly of the dramatic achievements of cooperation between Iran and China.